assault weapons

The Colorado House of Representatives gave preliminary approval Friday evening to a bill that would ban the sale, purchase and manufacture of many semi-automatic rifles beginning this summer.

Two progressive Denver Democrats are backing an effort to ban the purchase and transfer of semi-automatic weapons in Colorado, a second attempt after a similar bill died in committee last year.

An Oregon county judge Tuesday issued a permanent injunction against a voter-backed law that regulates the purchase of gun permits and magazine capacity, finding it violates the state's constitution.

Using a standard set by the U.S. Supreme Court last year, a federal judge found the new Washington law was consistent with historic firearm regulation.

Passed with an emergency clause on April 8, Washington state’s ban on the sale of assault weapons took effect immediately. A lawsuit followed moments later.

An assault weapon would be defined as a semi-automatic rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and has one or more of the following features: